Hora of Moldova (Volume 1)

Chapter 14

The hum of fluorescent lights filled the empty corridors of the school as Bianca walked through the front doors, her hands clutching her backpack straps tightly. Saturdays were supposed to be peaceful, but not today. Today, she was helping her dad, again, with the new online catalog system.

She could hear faint grumblings coming from the history wing before she even entered the room. As she pushed open the door to her dad's classroom, there was Mr. Cebotari, her father, sitting behind his desk, his head in his hands. In front of him, the dreaded laptop with the online catalog open, its screen reflecting rows of digital chaos.

“Ah, Bianca! Just in time to help your poor, defeated old father,” Mr. Cebotari said, his voice a mixture of amusement and mild exasperation. "This blasted thing is turning the staff room into a warzone. You wouldn't believe how many teachers are suddenly technophobic."

Bianca suppressed a smile. 

“I saw Mr. Dima earlier," Bianca said, walking over to the desk. "He was in the staff lounge yelling about losing half his gradebook in the catalog... again.”

Her father sighed dramatically, leaning back in his chair. 

“That poor man. And then there’s Ms. Florescu, who insists the catalog erased her lesson plans. Spoiler alert: she probably didn’t save them properly.” 

He chuckled, but Bianca could see the tension in his eyes. This new system had been causing problems all week, and being one of the more tech-savvy teachers, Mr. Cebotari had been roped into helping.

“Well, at least it’s just you and me today. No interruptions,” Bianca said optimistically as she took the seat next to him, cracking her knuckles before reaching for the laptop.

As if on cue, the door swung open with a creak.

"Speak of the devil," muttered Mr. Cebotari under his breath.

Standing in the doorway was Ms. Florescu herself, clutching a stack of disheveled papers, her brow furrowed. 

"Mr. Cebotari, I tried entering my lesson plans for Monday, and now the entire week is gone! Vanished! Just like that! This catalog is haunted, I swear!"

Bianca bit her lip to keep from laughing. 

"Ms. Florescu, I'm sure it's not haunted," she said softly. "Let me take a look."

Ms. Florescu practically shoved the laptop into Bianca’s hands. 

"I don't know how you young people deal with this... this digital madness!"

Bianca quickly navigated the interface, her fingers flying over the keyboard. She found Ms. Florescu's lesson plans within seconds and turned the laptop to show her. 

"It’s all here, Ms. Florescu. You just clicked the wrong tab."

Ms. Florescu squinted at the screen, then flushed slightly. 

“Oh. Well, yes, of course. I... I knew that! Thank you, Bianca." With a flustered wave, she hurried out of the room, leaving a trail of papers in her wake.

Mr. Cebotari shook his head. 

"It’s like we're living in the Dark Ages. Next thing you know, someone will claim the catalog cursed their computer."

Bianca smiled, feeling a little triumphant. 

"Well, at least we’ve fixed one crisis. Let’s get back to your catalog mess."

That was, until there was a loud crash from down the hall, followed by a string of curses that could only belong to Mr. Dima.

Her dad groaned. "And that’s my cue."